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Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Arundhati Bhattacharya is the most powerful woman in Indian business: Fortune India

Arundhati Bhattacharya, SBI chief

ARUNDHATI Bhattacharya, chairperson of India's largest bank SBI, is the most powerful woman in the Indian business sector, according to Fortune India.
Another PSU boss HPCL chairperson and MD Nishi Vasudeva is ranked fourth.
All the top-five rank holders retained their positions from the previous year.
ICICI Bank's Chanda Kochhar and Shikha Sharma of Axis Bank follow Bhattacharya at the second and third place, respectively.

About SBI chief, Fortune... India said: "SBI's financials tell the story of her successful tenure, but it is Bhattacharya's drive that has strengthened her position at the top."

"In her short career as first woman heading one of the oldest commercial banks in the region, Bhattacharya was instrumental in pushing several reforms, including revision of terms for infrastructure loan," Fortune India noted.
These powerful women represent various sectors such as banking, finance, energy, healthcare, media, fashion and entertainment.
These women are in the age group of 40 to 71.
In October 2013, Bhattacharya, then 57, created history when she took charge as the first woman chairperson of the country’s largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI). She also became the youngest MD of SBI. Bhattacharya has rich experience across almost all major business segments ranging from retail and corporate finance, treasury and international operations. Her balanced approach on handling issues will be crucial for her top job. She doesn’t hesitate to take tough decision.
She joined SBI in 1977 as a probationary officer (PO) and has served in various positions, including head of SBI Capital Markets Ltd, the bank’s investment banking unit. Bhattacharya had also served as a deputy managing director and corporate development officer at SBI. Bhattacharya also had a brief stint at the Bank’s office in New York.
She played a pivotal role in creating three of the bank’s newest subsidiaries -- in general insurance, custodial services and the SBI Macquarie Infrastructure Fund.
SBI and its five subsidiaries today control over one-fifth of the country's banking assets. It is the 66th largest bank in the world. The bank traces its roots to the British era when the British set up Bank of Calcutta in 1806, to be followed by Bank of Bombay in 1840 and Bank of Madras in 1843.